VFGRC Chapter 61

Even though Song Qing wasn’t a regular customer of Yu Bai’s, she had her own sources to find out the exact date when Yu Bai’s stall would open.

Who knew that after traveling throughout City J, sampling countless delicious dishes as a food blogger, she would be fixated on the teppanyaki that Yu Bai cooked?

The teppanyaki, infused with the aroma of grilling, the plump and juicy shiitake mushrooms, the crispy grilled tofu… Almost every snack left Song Qing deeply captivated.

If only she could have the chance to taste it again.

Song Qing’s wish from last year was finally fulfilled after the New Year.

Upon learning the exact opening date of Yu Bai’s stall, Song Qing immediately rescheduled all the work she had planned for that day.

Eating at Yu Bai’s snack stall was more important than anything else!

Upon hearing this, Song Qing’s entire team, under the pretext of “revisiting the teppanyaki snack stall,” demanded that Song Qing take them all along.

Thanks to Song Qing being the first food blogger to officially review Yu Bai’s snack stall on major social media platforms, she capitalized on the “bonus” of Yu Bai’s popularity during his ups and downs. Her number of followers and video views grew visibly at an astonishing pace.

As a result, this time, Song Qing’s team recruited two more members to help with the tasks of the original three-person team.

“Hello, everyone, it’s your old acquaintance, Qingqing. I’m back at Sanjiaokou to revisit the teppanyaki snack stall I’ve been to before… Today is the first day of business for the teppanyaki snack stall after the New Year. Let’s see what delicious treats they have to offer…”

In the afternoon, which should have been the time when Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall was open for business, Song Qing and her team saw a variety of stalls at Sanjiaokou, but none of them were Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall.

“Did we come too early today?”

Just as Song Qing voiced her doubts, she heard the sound of a glass door being pulled open beside her.

…

The opening went as planned.

However, the teppanyaki stall was no longer the same as before; it had transformed into a snack shop!

When Song Qing arrived at Sanjiaokou, she noticed that a new “Galaxy Snack Shop” had opened on the side of the street. However, she could never have expected that this snack shop was actually owned by Yu Bai!

The “Galaxy Snack Shop” was more than twice the size of a typical Sanjiaokou snack shop, making it quite spacious inside.

The interior decoration of the shop wasn’t overly extravagant.

Next to the glass display window were two or three seats or small sofas for customers to rest. Beside the window for on-site preparation, there was also a circular bar counter.

As Song Qing and her team entered, they were greeted with warm and enthusiastic welcomes from the older ladies inside the shop.

“Little beauty, would you like to come over and try some braised snacks?”

“Boneless chicken feet? Do you want to try the sweet and sour ones or the sweet and spicy ones… I guarantee that once you try them, you’ll want a second round!”

“Do you want something sweet? I have nougat, snowflake pastry, and milk-stuffed dates…”

The aunties’ calls weren’t particularly loud; they only greeted the customers warmly when they approached – they had been trained to know that some customers didn’t appreciate noisy shouting.

The snack shop’s window was arranged in an orderly manner.

There were freshly made snacks and pre-prepared ones, sweet snacks, salty snacks, and spicy snacks…

Various snacks emitted different enticing aromas, and the exquisite presentation added to their appeal.

Some customers who couldn’t resist the temptation of the food took out their phones from their pockets and went on a buying spree.

Even Song Qing couldn’t help but stop in her tracks as she looked at the dazzling array of snacks.

Song Qing: “Auntie, are all these snacks made by Boss Yu?”

The auntie smiled and said, “We help with ingredient preparation and such, but the final seasoning is done by the boss himself.”

True. After all, Yu Bai wasn’t a deity with three heads and six arms; his capabilities were limited. To manage such a large snack shop, besides having excellent culinary skills, Yu Bai definitely needed some assistance.

Hearing this, Song Qing’s level of anticipation slightly decreased.

After all, these snacks weren’t entirely made by Yu Bai, so their taste might not be as amazing as the teppanyaki…

Initially, Song Qing didn’t plan to buy snacks from the auntie; she wanted to head straight to the freshly made counter to enjoy the snacks made by Yu Bai.

However, the two new members of her team, who hadn’t tasted Yu Bai’s cooking before, were naturally tempted when they looked at the items in the display cabinet.

Seeing this, Song Qing said, “Auntie, please give us each a portion…”

“Sister Qing, buying this much in one go, can we finish it all?”

The variety of snacks in the shop was so extensive that just sampling these pre-prepared snacks would fill Song Qing up. Let alone purchasing an entire portion!

Song Qing smiled, “You can take them back and share, and these items can be kept for a day or two at the least, or up to a week… We’ll definitely finish them.”

Hearing Song Qing’s explanation, the eyes of the two new members gleamed with excitement.

“Big Sis Qing is really nice to them!”

After buying the snacks, the two new members took the bags of snacks and sat at a nearby four-person sofa table, waiting for Song Qing to finish evaluating the freshly made snacks at the counter.

Even though the freshly made snack counter was just a “window,” the aroma of the snacks being prepared continuously wafted through the air, tickling the customers’ noses.

Any customers who had previously tasted the teppanyaki knew that Yu Bai’s teppanyaki had a strong and dominating aroma. Even if they stood at the end of the street, they could catch the scent of the teppanyaki from the street corner!

Not to mention, the scent was even more pronounced within the semi-enclosed space of the snack shop.

That aroma of the snacks was truly pervasive.

In comparison, the aroma of hotpot from a hotpot restaurant or fried chicken from a fried chicken shop might initially arouse appetites in customers. However, after smelling them for a while, they would inexplicably grow tired of the scent.

Yet, the aroma of Yu Bai’s teppanyaki was entirely different.

Hotpot and fried chicken were both filled with intense meaty and greasy flavors. However, the aroma of teppanyaki had a unique soul – a refreshing and appetite-stimulating lemon fragrance.

Even if customers smelled it repeatedly for a long time, they wouldn’t grow weary of the scent. On the contrary, the aroma would continuously stimulate their appetite.

So… the two new members of Song Qing’s team, inhaling the pervasive aroma of teppanyaki in the air, were getting hungrier the more they smelled it.

Before long, their stomachs simultaneously emitted rumbling sounds.

“Big Sis Qing hasn’t gotten a chance to sit down and eat the snacks yet… How about the two of us go to the nearby counter and get some snacks?”

One new member asked the other.

After all, the snacks they had bought earlier were meant for Song Qing’s evaluation, so they couldn’t just eat them haphazardly. However, under the tempting influence of the food’s aroma, they couldn’t resist the desire to “taste.”

Besides, a portion of snacks didn’t cost much money, so they could spend a little extra to satisfy their cravings.

While the two new members were whispering to each other, a small box was placed in front of them.

They looked at the more experienced operational girl in their team and asked, “Sis, what’s this?”

“When I was paying just now, they gave me these complimentary snacks,” the operational girl said, “a pack of milk-stuffed dates, and two red bean cream buns… Should be enough to keep your hunger at bay, right?”

The new members blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed to eat. After all, neither of the two seniors had eaten yet.

“You’ve just started following the team for food exploration, so wanting to eat is completely normal, no need to be shy,” said the operational girl. “Once you’ve been doing it for a while, you’ll be able to ‘control’ yourselves… like me…”

As the operational girl enjoyed the envy-filled looks from the two new members, she swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Why hasn’t Song Qing eaten yet? She’s almost dying of craving! She also wants to eat teppanyaki!

Seeing the operational girl’s remark, the new members’ hands reached for the cream buns.

The cream buns were about the size of a palm, but they were definitely more filling than the stuffed dates. After eating the buns, they probably wouldn’t have their stomachs growling from hunger.

With this thought in mind, they took a bite of the cream buns.

The buns were fluffy and soft, and as they chewed, they could distinctly taste the aroma of butter between the layers of the bread.

Just as their teeth were about to break through the bun, the red bean and creamy fillings competed to overflow from the bread. The red beans were sweet and sticky, and the rich cream almost seemed to burst out, combined with the buttery bread…

The flavor was simply indescribable!

It was truly wonderful!

“Wow!”

“Look over here!”

“What is he doing?!”

Just as the new members were closing their eyes to savor the red bean cream buns, they heard bursts of exclamations from the vicinity of the freshly made snack window.

Many customers were gathering around the glass window, their eyes wide open, watching the scene unfolding beside the window.

A customer was biting into a perfectly fried, golden, and crispy potato hot dog stick and slowly tilting his head back.

A smooth string of cheese accompanied his motion, getting longer and longer.

Typically, the cheese used by street stalls and snack shops in the market isn’t of the highest quality, which can result in a lack of rich flavor and difficulty in achieving a good cheese pull.

However, while the ingredients used by Yu Bai for his snacks were not the finest, they were certainly not subpar either.

Yu Bai’s culinary skills were more than capable of compensating for any shortcomings in the ingredients.

The potato hot dog stick was thicker than a newborn’s arm. For someone who hadn’t mastered the timing of frying, it would be easy to burn the outer layer of the hot dog stick while the inside remained uncooked.

But Yu Bai’s control over the cooking process was far superior to that of an average person.

The hot dog Yu Bai fried was not only thoroughly cooked, but the inside was also fried to perfection – when the customers bit into the cheese, it stretched continuously.

When the inside of the hot dog stick was perfectly cooked, the outer layer remained a flawless golden hue, without a hint of overcooking.

The golden and crispy potato hot dog stick, paired with a delicious sweet and tangy sauce, not only removed the greasiness but also added a rich texture.

Meat, cheese, deep-fried goodness – it was a burst of flavors and calories.

However, among the customers who came here, how many would really care about their calorie intake?

Everyone came to buy and enjoy snacks purely for the satisfaction and happiness they brought.

And Yu Bai was the one providing these emotions.

“Boss, I want a potato hot dog!”

“Me too!”

“Give me two portions of potato hot dog, I’m starving!”

The area in front of Yu Bai’s freshly made snack window was bustling with excitement.